Trinity Journal of Apologetics and Theology A Review And Pedagogical Journal Volume 001 January 2007 Issue 003

“2006 has been a big year for atheism”, says Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr., Theologian and minister. “The release of several major books--all widely touted in the media--has put atheism on the front lines of current cultural conversation. Books such as Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion, Daniel Dennett's Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon, and Sam Harris' Letter to a Christian Nation are selling by the thousands and prompting hours of conversation on college campuses and in the media.”

In a Recent CNN News Article entitled, ‘The Rise of the ‘New Atheists’, well known scientist, Oxford University professor and, atheist Richard Dawkins is stated as a, “passionate apostle of Darwinian Evolutionary Theory”. According to the CNN news writer, “Dawkins has made his voice notorious among a group of thinkers and writers”.

What the group, dubbed ‘The New Atheists’, shares, is a belief that religion should not simply be tolerated but should be countered, criticized and exposed by rational argument “wherever” its influence arises [emphasis mine]. This is the ‘new’ fight, but an ‘old’ argument. How much influence this group, which represents about 5% of the populace, will have on the next generation I do not know. However, to underestimate the power of the force behind this group; the real enemy of God and all that He represents should not be.

Now more than ever, Christian lay persons need to equip themselves with solid answers to the most common objectives given by rationalists/radicals for two reasons:

• So that their own faith will be strengthened with the truth and
• That they may be able to “make a defense” for the faith and crystallize both the truth claims of the Bible and the ‘lack of truth’ argued by radicals and rationalists. This generation’s willingness to do this will preserve the faith of the next generation to come.

"We cannot, of course, disprove God, just as we can't disprove Thor, fairies, leprechauns and the Flying Spaghetti Monster," says Dawkins. "But, like those other fantasies that we can't disprove, we can say that God is very, very improbable." CNN News writer, Simon Hooper, went on to say, “Their tone is overtly confrontational rather than gently persuasive. Harris talks of exerting so much pressure that it becomes “too embarrassing” to believe in God, while Dawkins describes the U.S. as living in a "theocratic Dark Age."

The Scripture says, “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons” (1 Tim 4:1, NIV) and “Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.” (Col. 2:8, NLT).

If to “make disciples” takes converts and converts takes evangelism, then the discipline of Christian Apologetics, as an evangelistic approach, is now become a necessity more than ever. The Christian Apologists and lay persons need to ‘get on the ball’ if we are going fulfill our responsibility to the ‘Great Commission’ in our generation. Anything else will be to fulfill the opposite, “The Great Compromise” of the Church, in which each individual Christian becomes responsible and accountable to “The Most High God” for shirking His command and showing contempt for his truth statement, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” [emphasis mine].

Jewish Scholars, of old, did everything possible within their power, to ‘protect’ the scripture and to preserve the purity and accuracy of the cannon so that we could have copies of it today. They believed, rightly so, that if they did all they could, then God would be faithful to make sure the scripture would be passed down from generation to generation; shouldn’t we then do everything within our power (by the grace of God), to preserve the faith of the Christian that leans on its promises, with the same enthusiasm and commitment?


Back To The Table Of Contents
Back To The Archive Of Journals

---

Biblical Archeology | Bible Survey | Biblical Expositor | Free Theology Courses | SBS India  |  Brethren Assembly Free Bible Seminary | Free Apologetics/Christian Encyclopedia | Free Print-Communication Courses | CRG Wiki Free Child Evangelism Courses | TMM Hospital | Agape Outreach |  Physics4U | Free Correspondence Courses  |